Key-controlled operating mechanism



July 24, 1928. y 1,678,491

.-J. w. LAMBERT KEY coNTRoLLED oPERATNe MEcHAmsM Filed Sept. 21, .1925 Smets-Sheet l l@ f2.- 30 l5 J. W` LAMBERT KEY CONTROLLED OPERATING MECHANISM Filed sept. 21, 1925 2 sheets-sheet 2 '.l IE'. 5

guna-enfer 1w. Lam BERT (lil struction shown the printing` magnet, and the magnet 9 the return magnet. rlfhese magnets are shown enclosed in any suitable jacket, 10, and they are arranged concentrically, one above the other, and provided with the lining center holes through which the rod 11, carrying` the armatures 12 and 13, passes and is guided in its vertical reeiprocatiens. The magnets are shown arranged with reversely tapering recesses which receive the reversely tapering armatures with a sniiiciently close lit to enable the armatures to be dashpotted to the desired extent when moving int-o position in their respective magnets.

The rod 11 at its upper end is connected to a common transverse actuator bar 14,V which, in the drawings, is shown disposed above the bank or' key Vlevers 3, but which may obviously be arranged in whatever relation to such levers will prove most convenient and economical as applied to different types of machines. The bar is preferably ot' insulation and has the upper ends oi' the actuating rods at each side rigidly engaged therewith,

so that it forms with the rods an inverted U-bar actuator' adapted to be magnetically reciprocated vertically and without angular variation. The actuator bar 14 along one side edge is provided with a longitudinal notch or indentation 15, which is preferably lined with spaced strips ot contact metal 16 and 16a, the strip 16 extending above the actuator bar along its upper edge and the strip 16'l under the actuator bar along its lower edge and having lateral extensions 17 which reach nearly to the ends of the bar and are downturned along an insulating covering 1S 'for the upper ends of the rods 11. Each rod 11 carries spaced stop pins 19 and 20 which pierce the contact plate 17 and are adapted to engage and shi t the arm 21 ot a circuit changing switch comprising contact plate 22 adapted to co-act alternately witn the contactpoints 23 and 24. VrIhe contact strips 16 and 1Ga are spaced to provide yielding iaws to receive the circuit closers hereinatter described.

rlhe circuit closers are torn'ied by latches or pivoted arms 'which are all of identical construction, and each latch is pivotallv connected by a pin 29 to the side ot' its respective lever and projects above and below same according to `the arrangement ot the actuator bar 14, lt is provided at its upper tree end with a detent 30 ot conducting material adapted to engage the notch 15 in the actuator bar when moved downwardly by the depression ot its respective lever?) and close the circuit like a knife switch between strips 1S and 1W. The engaging movement of this latch is positively accomplished by the provision in it of a slot comprising a lower end 31.` disposed at an acute angle to a horizontal plane, and an upright slot 32 normally disposed at a slight rearward inclination trom the vertical. All of the latches are arranged with their several .slots in transverse alignment, and through all of the slots is passed a rod 33 made Jrast at Vits ends in the plates 7. rl`he arrangement ot the slots with relation to this. rod 33 is such that in normal inoperative position the rod stands at the base of the slet ends 3l ot all latches, and at completionot the relatively short finger stroke ot the har 3 it moves its respective latch into operative position, which brings the rod to the bottom of the upright slot 32. The movenient ot the latch relative to this rod responsive tothe tinger movement has caused the latch to rock about its pivot 29, against the rod 33 as a iulcrum, until its detent has aositively engaged and become inter-locked in the notch 15; and when this occurs the slot 32 will stand substantially Vparallel with the rod 11. As will be seen by a coinparison ot' Figures 1 and 4, this linger actuated movenient ot a latch will act to close the circuit across the strips 16 and 16' conten'iporaneons f with the interlocking ol the latch detent 30 in the actuator bar notch 15, in which position it is positively held by its pivot pin 29 and the engagement ot' the rod in its slot lid/hen the circuit is thus closed, the switch 22 will stand in the position shown in Figures l and 3, and current will flow 'from the contact strips to the extensions 17, and thence to spring contacts 34, wiping overthe plates 17 at eaclr end. and each in turn connecting to a switch blade 22 and thence to the Contact posts 23 or 24. The electric circuit 35, suitably insulated, connects the contact post 23 with the electro-magnet 8; and a similar circuit 3G connects the contact post with the magnet 9. Preferably the circuits 36 are joined so as to connect the magnets 9 in multiple with the contact posts 24. ln likemanner, the circuits are joined so as'to connect the contact posts 23 in multiple with the magnets 8. The circuit returns by leads 43'? from both magnets which merge into the circuit 3 8 containing a rheostat 39, which in turn is connected with the'circuit 40 by a battery 41. The circuit 42 Yfrom the battery is connected to the top contact plate 16. The rheostat enables the electro-magnetic torce of the magnets to be apportioned to the duty ot actuatingl and returningl printing` mechanism. A coil spring 43 acts to return the arm carrying the switch 22 to initial position, and it should be noted that this switch arm is disposed between stops 19 `and 20. so that a certain predetermined lost motion is provided which will permit the mechanism to get under t'ulloperation before thel switch is moved with a snap action. both toopen the circuit at 22 and to close it at 23. and vice versa.

In the operation ot my invention as thus far described, the circuits will be open when ltll) of the slot withthe rod 33 will be interlocked with the actuator notch, and at thev same time 'will close the circuit to the lower' magnets 8, through the electrical conductors l?, 2l, 22 and 23, and multiple circuit 35, and thence by circuits 37 and 38, through rheostat 39 and circuit 40 to the battery. rllhis will result in the simultaneous energization of both magnets 8, which, with the depressed r key lever latch interlocked therewith, will be jerked downwardly to impart the printing motion to the type bar. As this downward motion progresses the upper pin 19 will pick up the switch arm and move the switch 22 downwardly, causing it to open the circuit to the lower magnets just prior to the completion of the printing operation, and to at once close the circuits to the upper inagnets 9 through posts 24; and circuits 36, thus causing these magnets to raise the armatures and to restore the key controlled'mechanism to initial position. During the downward travel of the actuator 14, the stationary rod 33, ro-acting with the slot 32 of the selected latch, will lio-ld thelatter positively in engagement throughout the full downstroke and throughout the upstroke until the rod 33 reaches the lower slot portion 31, which,

acting on the rodA 33, ywill throw out the` latch detent from the actuator notch causing the latch to break the circuit between 16 and 16a, thereby de-energizing the upper magnets: 9.

- lt it be desired to repeat the printing op` eration of any selected key, it is only necessary to hold the type bardepressed at the' Anormal distance depressed in its manipulation, and the detent will thus be held interlocked with the actuator bar, and the latter will vibrate, repeating the printing operation for the time that the key lever is partially depressed. lThe rheostat' enables the magnetic l l'oree of: magnets 3 and 9 to be varied according to the duty required.

ldlhat I claim is:

l. in a key controlled mechanism of the .character described, an electric circuit, an

electro-magnetically controlled reciprocable actuator forming a part of the circuit, a plurality of independent arms pivotally eonnested with the respective keys andv adapted to be selectively engaged with 'and auto-, matically disengaged from said actuator to close thecircuit and transmit movement to the keys upon engagement with the actuator,

The parts are disigned and ar-V and means associated withthe keys for controlling the selective engagement of said arms with said actuator.

2. A key controlled mechai'iism,r according to claim l, in combination with means for pneumatically dash pottingthe action of the actuator at the respective ends thereof.

3. A key controlled mechanisin,according c to claim l, including electromagnetic means for moving. the actuator in both downward and reverse directions, and a reversing switch controlled by the actuator; and wherein the pivoted arms are in positive engagement with the actuator for the ventire movement thereof, and the energization of the actuator is controlled jointly by the pivoted arms and by the reversing switch controlled by the actuator. n

4. A key controlled mechanism, according to claim l, including electromagnetic means for moving the actuator in both downward and reverse directions, and a reversing switch controlled Vby the actuator; and wherein 'the pivotedl arms are in positive engagement with the actuator for the entire movement thereof, and the energizaton of the actuator is controlledjointly by the piv oted arms and by the reversing switchoperated with a lost motion action by the actuator.

5. In a key controlled operating mecha Vnism embodying manually operable key lemeans carried by each of the keys and responsive to partial manual depression thereof to interlock with the actuating device to control the keys and close the circuit.

7. In a rkey controlled operating mechanism embodying manually operable key k1evers, a reversible electro-magnetic power means, a normally open circuit for the electro-magnetic means, a common actuating element for all the key levers, included in the circuit, and actuated by the power means,

means carried by each of the key levers for, selectively engaging and interlocking withk the common actuating elementupon partial` depression of the key for-imparting reciprocal motion to the key and for closing the circuit, and a reversing switch for the cirr cuit operated by the actuating element.

S. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 together with means operable during the com-` pletion of the reverse travel of the actuating device to positively disengage the actuating element and the means carried by the lever and open-the circuit. 9. ln a key controlled operating mechanism embodying manually operable key levers, a reciprocable electro-magnetic power means, a normally open circuit for the electro-magnetic means, a common actuating element ior all the key levers, included inthe circuit, and actuated by the power means,

means carried by each of the key levers for selectively engaging and interlocking with the common actuating element for transmitting power in both directions from the actuating element to the key and for closing the circuit, and a reversing switch included in the circuit and` operated bythe actuating element.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim .9 together with pneumatic cushioning means included in the electro-magnetic power Imeans for cushioning the movements thereof at both ends ol its travel.

lu testimony whereof I aHX my signature.

JOHN WV. LAMBERT. 

